RePLaY
by metalchocobo13
Summary: When Sephiroth returns to the Planet intent on destroying it, Aerith follows in order to stop him.She avoids the others knowing that she will return to the Lifestream once her task is complete.Can she keep her secret and hide while trying to save Gaia?
1. Malice

Summary: Sephiroth returns to the planet (again) intent on destroying it. Aerith is given back her life in order to stop him. Meanwhile Cloud and the gang meet up with her. Cloud believes this is his second chance. Aerith, knowing she is will return to the Lifestream once Sephiroth is defeated, tries to stay away. But can she keep her secret and hide her feelings from Cloud while trying to save the world again?

Response to a challenge from Princess of the Knight #7

Disclaimer: Square owns everything except for one character, everything else is theirs not mine. _;;  
**  
Malice **

_"As the light fades... will a hero rise again? Or will darkness reign?"  
-Unknown _

Lifestream- Black

_"Hatred..."_

"Fear..."

"Sorrow..."

"Chaos..."

"Hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos, hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos, hatred, hatred!!!"

The madman muttered into the darkness, ensuring that his essence be maintained within the Lifestream. Sephiroth... the One-Winged Angel and harbinger of death had said so before, one and a half year ago, "I will... never be a memory." He had prevented himself from dissolution into the Lifestream once. He could most certainly do so again.

"So long as I have my hatred for you Cloud, I will never disappear. After coming so close to bringing an end to that sorry planet, I won't give up now. Never..."

The One-Winged Angel had indeed come eerily close to bringing about the planet's destruction but his sorry excuse for avatars had failed to carry out his plans to the fullest, thus resulting in his most recent defeat. And to make matters worst, that Cetra woman had given the cure to his geostigma to the residents of Gaia. Meaning it was now pointless to infect the children of the world above ground since there was now a sanctuary in which they could be healed.

"Hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos, hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos, hatred..."

For now this was the only thing he could do. Focus on his hatred to ensure his survival, until the opportune moment arrived...

Lifestream- White

_*"Daaaaa, daaaa, daaa, da, da, da, da, dum, dum, da, da, da, da, duuumm..." _(*a/n: humming "Aerith's theme)

_"You know, Aerith, you've probably heard this hundreds of times before but your flowers are just lovely."_

"Hmm...? Well, with the amount of time I had spent gardening in my life, I don't think I heard it hundreds of times, Hikaru."

"Well then start counting. Cuz' I'm gonna tell you everyday from now on!"

"Hahaha! Well I'll tell you right now Hikaru Tenshi, you're lovely for saying such a nice thing." Aerith commented in her melodic voice. She had to admit she was fond of the company the would be child of 12-years offered her. Hikaru had been one of the thousands of children infected with geostigma, her case however had been much more serious compared to most. While other children had a patch on their arms or their legs Hikaru's had spread throughout her torso to her chest, putting a great stain on her heart whenever she felt the effects of the virus. As a result she died at the tender age of 12. She would have been lost to the blackness of Sephiroth's hatred in the Lifestream, had Aerith not reached her soul in time. It was the purity of Aerith's soul that had saved the girl from fading and as a result she to would be exempt from disappearing into the Lifestream as well. Of course looking back Aerith was now grateful for making that decision since the girl had made her current existence much more interesting. It was a shame that she had died so young, she had so much potential. Not only was the girl bright but she was also pretty. She had long light brown hair, a slim, fit build and the most stunning sky blue eyes one could ever see. Though those eyes were not nearly as stunning to Aerith as the ones of a certain spikey haired man she knew.

"Oh stop Aerith..." Hikaru muttered embarrassed, cheeks tinging pink, "we both know that you were a real looker above ground..."

"Wha...?!" Aerith exclaimed flushing red.

"She has a point, Aer, you were something up there. We all know that you would have needed a steel bat to beat the guys away." called a voice rather amusedly.

"Ah Zack, you're back? Come for a visit? Oh wait, before you answer that you should give Aerith a hand. She looks like she's gonna die of a heart attack."

Aerith did indeed look rather unstable from the teasing. She was flushed from the tips of her ears down to her cheeks and she swayed where she stood. Zack immediately moved to steady the beet red flower girl and when she had regained her balance, she smacked Zack's shoulder with playful resentment.

"You idiot! Don't go saying such embarrassing things when I'm off guard!! And Hikaru I can't die of a heart attack if I'm already dead!"

"Yeah, yeah- sorry. But you can't say it's not true." Zack pointed out playfully.

"AAAARGH!!" Aerith fumed still feeling the heat in her cheeks. These two...

_"Alright we get the message but anyways, Zack, what brings you here to Aerith's rendition of the Lifestream?" Hikaru asked curiously._

"Well..." Zack paused for a second, "I felt a weird presence in the Lifestream."

Lifestream- Black__

"Hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos..."

The madman murmured over and over again as he tried to devise a plan as to how he was going to return to the planet. If you want something done right you have to do it yourself... _Sephiroth decided inwardly. _But how do I return to the planet if I don't have a physical body myself? ARGH!!!!!!

_"Hatred, fear, sorrow, chaos..."_

"chaos..."

"Chaos..."

"CHAOS!!!"

"WHO DARES TO SHOUT MY NAME WITH SUCH VENOM AND MALICE!!!!!!!" a voice thundered somewhere above.

"AND WHO DARES TO BREAK MY CONCENTRATION WITH SUCH BILE AND IRRITATION IN THEIR VOICE!!!!" Sephiroth challenged, furious of the interruption to his chanting.

Suddenly, Sephiroth felt a great evil pressure flood him. Crushing his fury and replacing it with... excitement. Could it be? The answer to his hell sent prayers?

"AND JUST WHAT GIVES YOU THE GALL TO TALK DOWN TO ME, ONE-WINGED ANGEL, WHEN I, CHAOS- THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION, AM BOTHERED BY YOUR INCESSANT MANIACAL RAMBLING!!!!!!!" Chaos boomed fiercely, appearing before the man in his demonic form.

Sephiroth quickly dropped to one knee before the god and said, "Chaos- God of Destruction, forgive me for calling you like this but I have a request..."  
  
7th Heaven Bar

It was another eventful gathering at the bar. Tifa had closed the doors to the public for a special private get together with the old AVALANCHE members and friends. With the fall of Deepground and the defeat of Omega a year ago behind them, the gang could finally breath a sigh of relief and lead their lives normally again. That is, now including the visits to the bar every other month just to make sure things were sound in Edge. An extra "safety measure" as Barret would put it now growing tired with all the surprise uprisings in the area (partly due to his aging process, though he would never admit it). The kids especially didn't mind this sudden change for now they never felt lonely. Marlene was glad to have her "daddy" around more often plus "big sis" Yuffie to show her some ninja tactics and Tifa to show her how to fight off a street thug. Meanwhile Denzel had more male role models to look up to than he could handle (Barret and Cid always butting heads rather graphically speaking as to how to train the boy to fight- with either a built-in gun arm or a pointed spear, while Vincent watched on indifferently. "Let the kid choose..." he'd mutter quietly, trying his best not to show his distaste for either fighting style, he thought regular handguns would be more suitable for the boy). And just where in this happy little bunch was "big bro" Spike at a gathering like this? Well after Cid and Barret had gotten into their training style spat again, the spikey haired man stealthily snuck outside to keep out of the line of fire (the last time those two had a little "lovers spat," not only had there been a few broken glasses but Cloud had to be hospitalized for a week taking a direct hit to the head- and it wasn't from a drinking glass but something much _bigger_). Anyway he didn't want to have to go through all the worry warting and hovering over his still form again so he thought it better to retreat to the safety of the outside world where though there were some shady characters still walking the streets, he felt comfortable there where he had peace a quiet.

Cloud looked up at the sky and seeing the millions of bright twinkling stars, let out a relaxed sigh. _Finally _he thought tiredly _some peace_ he finished thinking allowing his eyes to wink shut.

_"Hee, hee, hee, hee!!" _the melodic voice of a woman squatting in the grass, with her back turned to him, giggled playfully.

_"Ah not you too." _he groaned defeated.

_"What's wrong, Cloud? The happy family lifestyle getting to be too much for you?" _the voice teased amusedly.

_"I think I'd be able to handle it better if you were here with me..."_

"Silly Cloud, did you forget again? I'm always with you right here," he felt a spark in his chest, _"so long as you want me."_

"Aerith..." he breathed opening his eyes. He was met with the vision of Tifa standing in front of him, a scowl on her face. Then she smacked him on the head. _Nope, __**definitely **__real._

"What are you doing out here daydreaming by yourself again! It's past midnight!" she fumed, obviously displeased that he had escaped when she was not looking.

"Right, right I'm sorry. I'm gonna go inside and go to bed now." Cloud yawned, walking past her then entering the bar. If it was really so late, then why hadn't someone checked up on him earlier? In any case, he was not about to listen to her lecture him for the umpteenth time about avoiding everyone again. He was not avoiding. Just what did a guy have to do around here just to get a little peace and quiet?

He walked up the stairs to his room, kicked off his boots, and laid down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling with sleep tugging at his senses but he could not force his eyes to shut as much as he wished he could.

"Another restless night..." he whispered into the darkness, trying hard to focus on sleep.

_"Cloud, Cloud, Cloud..." _the melodic voice of Aerith soothed in his head, _"everything's alright now, so please go to sleep..." _

And with that the blond, spikey haired man drifted to sleep.

Lifestream- White

_Aerith sighed quietly, getting up from her squatting position in the flowers to stand._

"Is everything alright now?" Hikaru questioned with concern for her friend when she had sighed.

"Yes" Aerith said putting on one of her knowing smiles. "More importantly now that you mention it Zack, I'm getting an uneasy feeling from somewhere in the Lifestream too." she added, her voice filling with worry.

"It couldn't be because of 'that guy' again right?" Zack now asked feeling a bit worried himself. A feeling that he rarely got often and when he did get he did not like to have.

"I don't know..." Aerith responded, musing something in her head.

Suddenly Hikaru let out a gasp causing both Zack and Aerith to snap their heads in the younger girl's direction.

"Something really bad has just happened..." Hikaru murmured in a doomstruck tone.

Next thing the two old friends knew, the girl was up on her feet running through the flowery field toward a green glowing portal that had opened up in the area.

"I have to go!" the younger girl called looking back to the two older friends, "The Goddess calls me!" and with that the girl disappeared through the portal that closed just as soon as she got through.

The two friends looked at each other wondered just what had happened when they felt an eerie wind sweep the flowery field. A cold, dark, familiar evil aura came with that wind. And then it hit them like a bolt of lightning.

_**  
He's back......... **_

A/N: Whew! That was a pretty long chapter for me to write. At least it feels that way since I haven't written anything in a while. Hope you all liked it! So yeah, Chaos made an appearance in this chapter as a god of Gaia and he's going to be in the next chapter too along with another god character, the "Goddess" Hikaru spoke of, that some of you may be able to guess (ok, a lot of you should be able to guess who this goddess character is). The quote at the beginning of the chapter was from some Kingdom Hearts thing that I read so sorry if I didn't cite the speaker properly. Anyway, I have no idea if this fic is any good so some constructive criticism is currently welcomed for anyone out there who would like to point out any mistakes in continuity or have any suggestions on how to improve the story so please review! And thanks for reading. 


	2. Purge

**A/N: **_Italicized words in the __**Lifestream **__are normal speech. _Regular format is thought.  
Regular format on the **surface of the planet **is normal speech. _Italicized words are thought._

**\\\\\Purge//**

Flashback:_ Lifestream Black_

_"Chaos- God of Destruction I have a request... please lend me your power so that I may complete my mission in the world above." the One-Winged Angel asked humbly of the god before him; down on one knee._

"And what have I to gain from your silly interactions with the humans of Gaia?" the demon like god questioned smugly. "I am a god. You are a measly human being who cannot even escape this godforsaken prison that has so easily withheld you along with your hatred."

Sephiroth held back the urge to throttle the demonic god then. Control yourself, Sephiroth, he's only testing you.

_"True, but you hate the world above as much as I do so if you are so great a god, why don't you end this world yourself? Or does the mighty god of destruction hold back due to a pact he has made with the other gods?"_

The god, taken aback by Sephiroth's statement, flinched slightly then.

"If I am able to return to the surface, I can assure I will bring that pathetic world to a spectacular end..."  
  
_The destructive god contemplated the Angel's statement for a moment._ Hmm... he has a point. So long as I am bound by that pact I cannot destroy the world. But if I let this man return to his body... the 'finale' I have long awaited could very well be something special. Still... _The god glanced over at the man whose jade eyes bore into his crimson ones. _He is a very dangerous man. If I give him back his life there is no telling what could happen. Never mind those humans; they are so pathetic that it wouldn't matter if they were dead or alive. Yet I'm not quite convinced that he can be trusted unless...

_"I've made my decision." the god said coolly._

"Fine, let's hear it."

"I have decided to release you from this sorry part of the Lifestream which you have infected. You will be returned to your fully replenished and slightly modified body, which I will craft, in the Northern Crater. There you will be, shall I say, resurrected."

"Well those are some hefty blessings from a god of your nature so what's the catch?" Sephiroth questioned, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Shut up you fool! You are fortunate enough to have me hand you such spoils, don't toy with me now!" the god spat ruffled by the fact this human was mocking him.

"Well don't mind me, go on."

"... Nevermind me. Make this world's ending 'spectacular' as you say and I will be satisfied. I swear, those humans are nothing but a thorn in my side to begin with. End their world and that will be enough as payment."

"...That's all? No special mission? No particular person to kill?" Sephiroth asked amazed.

"That is all."

With that said the god of destruction raised his left hand, and shot out a beam of scarlet from his palm. The beam formed a seal of sorts underneath Sephiroth's kneeling form. Then the god chanted, 

"Hearts of rage, hearts of sorrow.  
Tormented souls come and follow.  
This man has made a contract with me  
See to it that he carries it out faithfully..."

_Colors of black and scarlet swirled around Sephiroth forcing him to shut his eyes. _

"Seek out your destiny too the end  
Return to this place only then.  
After all is said and done,  
You shall gain favor with me, a god  
It is then that you too  
shall go on living as one."

_At this Sephiroth couldn't help but flash one of his sadistic smiles. _Heh, so if I gain favor with old two horns here I'll be able to exist forever as a supreme god. At last!! But wait...

_Just then the seal underneath Sephiroth opened up into a portal. The darkness and scarlet swirling around him became more violent as he felt his knees starting to melt through the floor. He began to descend through the portal when at the last moment we called out to Chaos, "You haven't told me how to gain favor with you!!!"_

Chaos merely glared at him and said, "You can figure that much out on your own; can't you?"

With those last words left for him to consider, the One-Winged Angel's soul disappeared from the abyss of his Lifestream's darkness. 

**End Flashback**

Present: _Lifestream- White_

_Hikaru didn't know what it was, but something definitely bad had happened. She could tell when she felt the tremor that rattled her entire being. _I don't know what caused it or why it felt so dark, but the goddess will know. She has all the answers, that's why I... _she continued through another portal that opened up before her._

*Sigh* I just have to find out.

_When Hikaru stepped out on the other side of the portal she found herself standing on a royal blue carpet with silver lines making intricate patterns in the fabric. She wasted no time staring at the floor though and bolted down the hall of what was apparently part of some kind of grand palace. She navigated the familiar corridors until she reached the room she had been looking for. Not even bothering to knock, she pushed open the giant oak doors to a large throne room. Though instead of finding one golden throne up the steps at the opposite end of the room there was instead a long table with cushions lined behind it. Sitting in front of the table on a cushion at that very moment was a woman, with flowing blond locks topped with a golden crown, amber eyes, and clad in a long white dress complete with gold designs._

"Goddess Cosmos- the Goddess of Harmony- you called me?" Hikaru asked nervously when she reached the bottom steps, bowing low.

_The goddess, in turn, was gazing out one of the room's large windows; a calm look in place on her face. "I hear the flowers in Aerith's garden are blooming nicely. At least that's what I've heard from the voices whispering to me here in the Lifestream." came her nonchalant voice._

Confused, Hikaru chanced a glance up at the goddess. Cosmos was now staring at her with a troubled look in her eyes though the rest of her face remained expressionless. 

"_Excuse me for asking goddess but I felt a dark presence and then you called me so I thought…" Hikaru started but trailed off unable to say anymore. Her gaze fell to the floor. "Goddess what...?" _

_"I'm afraid it's not going well Hikaru." Cosmos voice cut in softly. "A certain dark being has risen from hellfire's ashes; fully intent on destroying this planet." _

_"But who...?" _

_"It is a dark being that has terrorized the world above ground before. Although he has been defeated each time before I fear that this time he will succeed thanks to my brother's meddling..." the goddess continued. _

Brother? What is Cosmos talking about? And the person who has terrorized the world up there before, who...? Wait. She couldn't mean... No, not **him.**

_As if she could read Hikaru's thoughts Cosmos answered, "The brother that I speak of is indeed Chaos, the God of Destruction. As for the man that has risen to wreak havoc upon the world above once more, I'm sad to say that you are correct. The One-Winged Angel Sephiroth has been resurrected." _

_If Hikaru had blood, she swore it would have run cold then. _

_"Back?! But how?! Why?! I thought that Aerith's friends finished him off last time! How could he come back? He should have been defeated for good!" Hikaru went off ranting. _

_Trouble look still fixed within the goddess' gaze she waited for her young messenger to calm down. Messenger as in 'Messenger of the Lifestream'; after Aerith had saved Hikaru, she became the main means of communication between the goddess- Cosmos - and all the spirits within the Lifestream. If for some reason the goddess could not reveal herself to certain spirits, Hikaru would go in her place to do her bidding. It may have seemed like the goddess was using her to avoid unwanted confrontations, yet in reality the girl had helped on a few occasions in quelling the pains of some tormented souls. For that the goddess was grateful and thus would wait until the girl let out all of her pent up emotion. She owed the child that much at least. _

_When Hikaru finally calmed down, Cosmos began to explain again. _

_"I understand you are fear the safety of those above and I know that you would dislike the loss of anyone's life to his hatred having experienced such pain first hand when you lost your own younger brother to the geostigma." _

_Hikaru flinched at that but did not interrupt. _

_"Which is why I have arranged for a special party to travel to the surface of Gaia to ensure the safety of the people there as well as to purge this world of that One-Winged Angel of hatred once and for all." she finished, eyes changing from a troubled gaze to a hopeful gleam. _

_Hikaru pondered Cosmos' mini speech for a moment before finally speaking. "Alright, then let's have it!" she started, a more optimistic ring in her speech. "So, who did you have in mind for sending back to the surface?" _

_To Hikaru's surprise, the goddess in woman form merely stared at her- eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. _

_"What?" _

_Recovering from her own shock Cosmos simply replied, "I'm shocked to think that you haven't already guessed who I had in mind..." _

_Just as she was about to reveal who the persons of interest were, a portal opened right in the center of the room. And who should step out of that portal none other than the very persons the young girl had been spending her free time with just moments ago? _

_The first one through the portal was ex-SOLDIER Zack looking serious interestingly enough. Following along just seconds behind him was flower girl Aerith carrying a frown on her face. A characteristic highly unusual and thus, disturbing in goddess' messenger's case. _

_Now it was Hikaru's turn to stare with her mouth hanging open wide like a flan. Zack stared back with a slightly surprised expression replacing his serious one. Aerith on the other hand seemed unruffled by this turn of events though she exchanged her unusual frown for one of her usual gentle smiles, even if it looked somewhat forced. _

_"Wh-wha-what are you doing here?!?!" Hikaru questioned pointing an accusing finger at the two unexpected guests. _

_Snapping himself from his slightly surprised daze Zack responded lifting his own finger, "What's with the stupid expression on your face?" _

_At that Hikaru bristled and countered, "Yea? Well what's with your hair looking like the rear end of a chocobo?" _

_Offended, Zack managed a 'Them's fighting words you little...!' before Aerith swiftly smacked a hand over his mouth while planting herself in between Hikaru and him. _

_"So sorry that we're late Goddess Cosmos!" Aerith greeted bowing her head, her eyes pleading when she straightened saying 'Please help me change the subject!' "This idiot behind me was rambling about all sorts of nonsense while we made our way here!" she continued digging her nails into Zack's cheeks while forcing her palm strongly against his mouth at the same time. He had to resist the urge to gag from the action so he held his breath. _

_"It's quite alright," Cosmos returned brightly, her eyes gleaming with unheard laughter. "More importantly, you received my message?" _

_Releasing her vice-like grip from Zack's cheeks Aerith became serious as she nodded her head in response, "Yes, you sent for us. Now what is the important matter that you would like to discuss with us?" _

_Zack stumbled backwards a ways until he managed a squatting position. Sucking in deep gulps of breath he regained his composure and stood tall before joining in the conversation, "Yes Cosmos," _*Smack* _from Aerith whispering 'Show some respect! Use the title before her name!' Clearing his throat he corrected, "__Goddess__ Cosmos, what did you need to discuss with us that we were summoned here to the God's Grand Holy Palace, for a meeting?" _

_Troubled look once again plaguing the beautiful amber eyes of the goddess she wasted no time in explaining the situation, "As you two may have sensed earlier the ominous wind that swept through your flower field, Aerith, was caused none other than by the calamity known as Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel, Harbinger of Death, etc., etc." _

_"Let me put it this way," the goddess pushed on, "he's back, he's bad, and he's out to wipe the face of this planet from the universe." _

_A frustrated expression made its way to Zack's usually handsome face. Aerith in turn dropped her gentle smile and returned to the unnerving frown from before. An eerie silence fell over the large throne room making it feel even larger. _

_The silence was piercing and seemed to draw on for an eternity, like a curse plaguing the land, until it was lifted by Zack's hard, serious voice. "So what are we going to do to stop him?" _

_All three pairs of eyes fell on the goddess when they widened with a look of amazement. _

_Slowly but surely, Cosmos' lips twitched up into a knowing smile. _

_Thinking she was stating the obvious she answered, "What other way is there to beat the darkness other than with the power of light?" _

_When the three stooges finished glancing at one another confused, Cosmos caught them off guard again by rolling her eyes and saying, "Do I have to spell it out for you? If we want to defeat Sephiroth who's armed with the darkness of his hatred, we just need to send up a team that's armed with the light of redemption." She paused and turned her back to them then continued quietly, "If his sins are forgiven then we can finally put him to rest. After all he is just another child of the planet, just as you were once. Just a more complex version of a tormented soul like the ones Hikaru assisted in quelling their pains. Think about it."_

_The trio stood quietly thinking over Cosmos words and they had to admit she had a point. As foul and heartless as he appeared to be, Sephiroth really was just another child of the planet; victim to the twisted secrets and lies of the old Shin-Ra company. Just as everyone else on the planet had been. _

_Releasing a sigh of defeat Aerith yielded to the goddess' words. "Alright. So who do we send back to Gaia's surface to handle this situation?" she questioned tiredly, scratching her head. _

_Spinning around to face the three again the goddess' face, at first glance, appeared to hold no expression but it was her eyes that gave her away. Cosmos eyes were... laughing? At a time like this? _

_Lips pursed the goddess nonchalantly answered, "Why, who else to send other than a truly pure child of the planet..." _

Uh oh, I don't like where this is going. _Hikaru thought sourly. _

_"Who is none other than the gentle," _

I've got a funny feeling about this. _Zack thought idly. _

_"Compassionate, kind, and caring," _

This person that she's describing... do I know her? Wait that's... _Aerith thought; realization sinking in. _

_"One and only, lovely-" _

You can't be serious. _The three thought grimly. _

_"Aerith." _

BINGO.

7th Heaven Bar

The **7th Heaven Bar **was in its usual chaos. After a gathering with the old AVALANCHE members things were always in an uproar. For one thing, everyone would stay so late that they would have to spend the night at the bar. The morning that followed would be chaotic with the old men (Barrett and Cid) throwing fits over their hangovers thus upsetting the kids and with the ninja girl not helping the situation by throwing a ruckus over not being able to find items that had "mysteriously disappeared" overnight (in reality of course she would have just misplaced them in her half-asleep state before going to bed). Naturally she would confront the already agitated old men, serving only to agitate them further.

As for the two younger men, Vincent's room was avoided at all costs for they were all too familiar with his demonic aura he had in the morning if he was disturbed from his sleep. They avoided bothering Cloud for similar reasons, but mostly out of fear of him taking off without warning again.

This left Tifa as the only one downstairs fully functioning with a clear mind. She dreaded these mornings for all that they were. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little relief and happiness wash over her at the same time. She was glad that life seemed to finally be settling into a normal, comfortable pattern. _I could get used to this. _She thought to herself as she sent Denzel and Marlene outside to avoid having them get "caught in the crossfire" already heating up between Yuffie, Barrett, and Cid. Closing the door behind her Tifa leaned back against it and sighed thinking dreamily. _Just another day in paradise... _*CRASH* "WHAT THE DERN' HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?!" "HEY, STOP THAT! OW! YOU ACTUALLY HIT ME THAT TIME!" "WHAT? THAT ACTUALLY HURT? I GUESS I SHOULDN'T EXPECT MUCH FROM A PAIR OF OLD FARTS, HUH?!" "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! YOU'RE ASKIN' FER' IT NOW LITTLE NINJA!!" "SHIIIIT… IT'S ON NOW!!!" "BRING IT ON, POTBELLIES!!!!!!" *CRASH*SLAM*POP* "Damn…" Tifa murmured to herself before losing her composure, "DAMN IT! CID, BARRETT, YUFFIE!!!! THOSE BETTER NOT BE MY GOOD PLATES!!!!!!!" And with that Tifa dashed from the entry way to the kitchen to salvage her plates from the ensuing carnage within.

*************

Cloud woke in a foul mood that morning. He woke up to the familiar sound of glass shattering and immediately thought the bar was under attack until he heard the familiar voices shouting vivid curses back and forth. Flopping his head back down to his pillow, Cloud felt somewhat grateful for the disturbance that had shaken him awake from his nightmare.

_He was walking down the aisle of Aerith's church, the dark lighting in the church giving off the nighttime appeal. When he reached the pit where the flowers drowned in the Lifestream infused water should have been he found it dry and empty. A few dead flowers lingered in its place. When he picked one up it withered to dust. Before he knew it the entire church was withering away; turning to dust before his very eyes. When he stood up to face the doorway he found himself standing at the cliffside overlooking the ruins of Midgar. The place where Zack met his end and where he had started down the path to becoming a hero. Noticing the yellow flowers blossoming at his feet he knelt down to stroke the petals of one, only for it to shrivel and die at his touch. At that Cloud lunged backwards landing on his knees. Wondering why the flowers seemed to shudder at his touch, he peered down to look at his hands only to be met with the most horrible site of all. _

_This had to be a nightmare. His hands were drenched in blood. In his arms lay the flower girl. __**His**__ flower girl, whose pink rose lips were twitched up into that final knowing smile and whose kind eyes, the most beautiful shade of emerald he had ever seen, were sealed closed—never to open again. Having to see her lifeless form in his arms again paralyzed and haunted him to the core. He felt his heart lurch as he recalled this dreadful scene feeling its effects once more; throat tight, mouth dry, hands shaking, and eyes burning. It was all too real to be a nightmare. Suspecting what would come next, he dared to glance up at the figure he knew would be standing over him. Sure enough there he was as predicted—like this was all part of some sick play. Sephiroth stood over Cloud—who in his kneeling state—appeared to be towering above. _

_He appeared before Cloud looking much the same as the last time he had seen him in this scene. Jade eyes staring wildly at him, signature sadistic smile in place. One look at the One-Winged Angel and he felt the anger surge from deep inside him. Taking care to set even the vision of the flower girl down gently, he stood up and in a flash was level face-to-face with the man he resented so fiercely. _

"_What do you want?" _

"_Edgey, aren't we?" _

_Firmly securing a grip on the silver haired man's throat he repeated his question, "Don't play innocent, of all things, with me Sephiroth. What-do-you-want-with-me?" _

_Easily freeing himself from Cloud's would-be firm hold he replied, "I came to give you a little greeting…" _

_Disappearing before finishing his sentence, Cloud whirled around only to be faced with nothing but darkness. Making sure not to let his guard down in his unarmed state, Cloud continuously glanced around—watching for any trace of the silver haired man. _

"_I have the most spectacular news for you…" _

"_Well? Let's hear it!!" _

"_I have been patient and I have been humble; and now my hard work is finally going to pay off…" _

_Confused Cloud could only frantically ask, "What's happening?! What are you planning?! What are you going to do?!?" _

_Then suddenly he heard the voice of the One-Winged Angel whisper directly into his ear. _

"_I'm coming back, and this time I won't fall so easily." _

_Next he found the darkness opening up beneath his feet, swallowing him whole. He thrashed violently throwing his arms up grasping at the nothingness and then—_

…Found himself safely back in his room.

Now sitting up wide awake Cloud pondered what could have possibly caused him to have such a nightmare. The withering flowers, the fading church, visions of the dead Aerith, and Sephiroth; why were all these things showing up in a dream now?

Cloud wasn't sure. But if he knew on thing it was this: The planet would probably require his strength once again. The reason he thought was this: _If that nightmare is as accurate as I may think, then that means that __**he **__really is coming back; to end it once and for all. _

_Lifestream- White_

_There was one word to describe the current status of the trio: speechless. Silence fell over the party as they tried to digest the goddess 'words. But they just couldn't do that. _

_Hikaru was first to find her voice which rang out in strong opposition. _

"_Lady Cosmos I must object. No offense to Aerith or anything, but she isn't exactly hero material. How is she supposed to take down a big, and let's be realistic, god enhanced denizen of darkness when she herself is of frail build?" _

"_I must agree with the messenger, my lady. Aerith may be strong at heart but she doesn't exactly have the physical capabilities to take that guy down. Surely there is someone else around here that is of that caliber that can be sent up in her place?" Zack interjected. _

"_Goddess I myself know that I cannot be the one to defeat him. We all know that his fighting ability far exceeds my own; plus I have fallen to his sword once before." Aerith added monotonously. _

_Cosmos stared on piercingly as she listened to the three voices state their objection. She knew they thought that her plan was insane with there only being a seventy-five percent chance of it being successful. Still, she'd rather gamble on that uncertain chance than have this planet lost to the hatred and deceit of one man. There was just absolutely no way she was going to let that go down without a fight. _

They're being so stubborn that they won't look at the big picture here… Well I guess there is only one thing that I can do. _Cosmos decided inwardly. _Yes, if that's what it will take to get them to agree with me then I guess I have no choice.

"_Fine," Cosmos' drawled in an irksome tone, "If you want Sephiroth to destroy the planet while giving the people above as much pain and sorrow as he possibly can in the process then please—go on hiding down here, awaiting the imminent erasure of your own existence within the Lifestream as it dies with this planet; knowing that you could have done something to stop the insanity raging on its surface yet in the end, deciding to fade without doing anything at all." _

_The goddess' words stung at the decisive trio's ears. They could only stand dumbstruck after hearing the golden haired woman's counter to their recalcitrant objections. _

She's played the guilt card on us… _Zack thought solemnly. _

Man, she got us. What are we supposed to think now? _Hikaru mulled over bitterly. _

Regardless of how I think and feel about all of this, her ladyship has a point. _Aerith mused pensively. _

"_The choice is yours." came Cosmos now nonchalant voice, "In their hour of need, will you be the one protect their happiness? Or will you allow the dream that you and many others had fought and died for come to an end?" _

_The words cut like daggers through Aerith's soul. She understood what the goddess meant; she remembered. Hearing those words, the memories suddenly flooded back to Aerith's mind. Images of the places she'd traveled to, the people she'd met—the friends that she'd made. Friends that she had treasured and loved that shared her dream of restoring the world to one of peace and justice, the fun that they had had journeying together, and how it all had to end so soon. Too soon for her tastes and apparently they agreed that it had ended too soon as well. _

"_So… What do you say?" Cosmos asked uncertain of the Aerith's decision. _

_The goddess and the two witnesses seemed to hold their breath as they waited in anticipation for the flower girl's response. _

"… _All right, I'll go after Sephiroth." _

_Having already predicted that Aerith wouldn't refuse, a smile spread wide across Cosmos' face. The response, however, caused Zack's legs to waver and he had press his left hand to the nearby wall for support. Hikaru rushed over to his side to aid him while rolling her eyes thinking, _Cosmos set up the perfect trap. Why should he start swaying over an obvious response like that?

"_Sissy man…" she muttered as she grasped Zack's right arm to stabilize him. _

"_What was that, twerp?" he inquired shifting his weight and lifting an eyebrow. _

"_Nothing, nothing…" Hikaru answered impassively, taking care not to dig her nails into his arm in reaction to being called a 'twerp.' _

_Vying for a change of subject she turned to the she-god and asked, "So when do we leave?"_

_Smile shrinking, though not fully fading, Cosmos replied, "I'm sorry Hikaru, but you won't be returning to the surface." Seeing the distressed look in the child's eyes as she faced the flower girl the female deity quickly added, "But don't worry about Aerith, I'm not sending her off alone. I'm sending her up with someone who can watch over her." _

_Now it was Zack's turn to face the goddess with a distressed expression in his eyes. To this the goddess explained, "There is no need to worry about who I'm going to send with her. Zack, you will be the one to keep an eye out for those who would do harm to Aerith. She already knows and trusts you so this should work out for you, yes?" _

_Relieved, Zack nodded his head in approval before repeating Hikaru's question, "So when do we leave?" _

_To that Cosmos acknowledged, "Immediately." _

"_WHAT?!" Zack and Aerith exclaimed at the same time. _

_Aerith continued, "Goddess Cosmos, how are we supposed to return to the surface now? I mean just look at our current state! We're just spirits. Sephiroth will have a __**god-enhanced body**__. Just how are we going to match that and without even a day to prepare for our departure?" _

"_That doesn't matter." Cosmos calmly remarked; smile still in place, "I have been expecting Sephiroth's revival for some time now. In that time I have been preparing for when I would need to send up you the heroes to the surface to chase after him. You too will have bodies of flesh and bone, with some of my own goddess enhancements." she concluded with a devilish smile spreading across her face. _

"_Well I guess that takes care of that problem, but what are they gonna do when they get up there?" Hikaru cut in, pointing a finger upwards. _

"_Simple. Shatter his soul. When that happens, Aerith, you must take your extraordinary healing powers and with your Cetra magic infuse the broken pieces of his heart and soul with pure holy. But most important of all, after healing him, you must put his soul to its final rest and forgive him—for everything he has done." _

_To that last part Zack retorted, "Forgive him?! After everything he put Aerith and the whole of the planet through?!? Why don't you just hand him another JENOVA head while you're at it and call it a day?!?!" _

_He was about to vent more when Aerith lifted a hand to silence him. "Zack it's okay," she commented quietly, "Remember what Lady Cosmos said before; he was once a child of the planet like us. Who are we to keep him from finally finding peace? Even a One-Winged Angel should get the chance to have his sins forgiven like everyone else." _

_Taking Aerith's words into account, Zack thought for a while before hesitantly agreeing with her. _

_With that final understanding Cosmos stood up from her cushion as Hikaru flew swiftly to her side while the other two stopped short of the bottom steps. Cosmos descended a few steps until she was halfway between the upper platform where she had been seated and the throne room floor where Zack and Aerith stood waiting just before the first step. _

"_You will land in an isolated place that is familiar to the both of you so you need not worry about being seen just yet. Act naturally once you have arrived on the surface. If you must, you can contact me directly through thought and if the need arises I will send Hikaru out in spirit form or I will reach you myself in dreams. Your bodies will be your original ones with some slight modifications. Other than that while there you will be like normal living, breathing human beings so make sure you take good care of yourselves so that I won't have to reach in and fix you up personally. That being said, you're all set so here we go!" _

_The goddess inhaled deeply then and murmured, _

"_Heroes of light in this realm now, _

_Your presence required on the surface I will endow. _

_In order to stop the malefactor above, _

_Allow me to send you with all my faith and love." _

_As the goddess chanted her spell, the floor at Aerith and Zack's feet began to fade into white. Emerald threads of the Lifestream appeared from below and began to circle the two as the incantation went on. _

"_Legendary ex-SOLDIER return once more _

_And Child of Cetra whom we adore—_

_Take care of yourselves. _

_But do not forget; _

_It is your duty to take care of this planet— _

_For the sake of the ones you love, _

_As well as your own happiness." _

_Finishing her chant, a great wind picked up and soon the threads of Lifestream became great bulging streams that circled faster and faster around them. The rest of the throne room around them seemed to fade farther and farther away. Hikaru called out to them from what seemed like a great distance away a, "Take care!" and a, "Go for it!" before her voice could no longer be heard. Soon the bright whiteness became too much for them and they shut their eyes. Finally they felt their feet lift off the ground as they began their long ascent to the surface. Their destination: unknown. _

_Just before they entered the portal, Aerith heard Cosmos' voice ring in her ear, "Be warned. On the surface you may run into to people you know—people you miss. However, once Sephiroth has been finished off, you must return to the Lifestream as well. I know you must have been looking forward to this and really I don't mind you spending time with them once more but you must not forget your objective. Should you meet up with them, try not to get too attached. For the closer you get to them this time around, the harder it will be when the time comes to say goodbye. That's all I wanted to tell you. From here on out have fun and good luck!" _

_As she felt the goddess' presence leave her ear Aerith sharply inhaled a breath laced with vexation. _'Have fun…' she says. _Aerith thought distressfully, _I'm going to the surface to chase after Sephiroth back and she tells me not to get too close to my friends. How in JENOVA'S name am I supposed to do that if they will be probably be chasing him too?! _*sigh* _The last thing I want to do is be the source of sadness when this is all over—especially for **him**.

_Mulling over the thought for a little while longer Aerith made a decision. _There's only one thing I can do to prevent that sadness. I'll just have to avoid them.

A/N: Hello, I'm back! And this chapter was waaaaaaaaaay longer then the last one. I think. O.O So yeah, both Chaos and Cosmos sent up their minions each with their own special intentions—sinister and saintly. I think the chants were pretty corny/cheesy myself but I just needed them to rhyme (sort of) and kinda go along with the intentions of each party. I also have to thank Princess of the Knight for giving me the inspiration to write this fic, and whose stories I love by the way. I have no idea when the next chapter's going up so please bear with me. Thanks for reading! __


	3. Landing

\\\\\**Landing**//

Edge

Marlene and Denzel stood outside **7th Heaven Bar**, appearing visibly shaken. Marlene trembled slightly remembering the booming voices and colorful language that she had awoken to. Not to mention the panic she felt when she noticed the weight of an unidentified person on top of her (who turned out to be Yuffie, sneaking into her bed again). It was a little too much for a girl of eight years to handle.

Denzel's distress was less noticeable as a boy of ten years though inside he was a whole mess of emotions. He woke up to find himself being lifted up in the big, muscular arms of Barrett only to be hurled down the stairs at an unsuspecting Cid. Fortunately, Tifa had knocked Cid out of the way and caught the boy just before he hit the hard, cold tile floor.

The two children merely stood outside the bar until two familiar friends snapped them from their daze. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the young lass and lad! Sounds like they're having another arousing morning again, eh!" commented Cait Sith riding atop an irritated looking Red XIII, referring to the crashing sounds coming from within the house.

"More like a 'mind-blowing' morning if you ask me…" muttered Red XIII—a.k.a. Nanaki— with sour humor at his "mind-blowing" joke— obviously displeased with the amount of noise coming from the place so early in the morning.

"Aah, don't be such a sour puss, Nana, just because we had to do some over time for Reeve." Cait Sith soothed while stroking Nanaki's head.

"DON'T CALL ME 'NANA'!!!" Nanaki roared, shaking Cait off of his head.

"Yes, yes. Let's be civilized folk now. There's no need to be rowdy so early in the morning, eh _Nana- Kichi_?"

Red growled until a smiling Marlene patted him on the head with a soothing hand and a pleading finger to her lips asking him to hush. At this the fire red cat cooled down and soon he was purring slightly at the young girl's touch.

"Red, Cait Sith— it's so good to see you two! Denzel and I were so sad when we heard you guys couldn't make it."

"Oh yes we are so very sorry to have troubled you, lass, but you know old Reeve. Work comes first to the old fellow, especially when it involves strange phenome—" the plush robot began to explain until the red beast to his right let out a low warning growl. _Woops, forgive me Nana-kichi. I almost spilled the beans— _Cait thought when Marlene cut him off.

"Ah, I understand now. Reeve detected some strange phenomena and had you guys check it out for him."

"Which probably means that the two reasons why you guys are here is either to report your findings to Cloud and everyone while they are all gathered at the bar or the strange phenomena itself is lurking somewhere around Edge or even in Midgar, so you've come to investigate?" Denzel chimed in.

The two cat-like creatures could only stare dumbstruck when the two young children had finished uncovering their true motives. Only one mutual thought came to each cat's mind: _Do not underestimate these children. _

Cait Sith laughed nervously while Red bowed his head in shame. The two children on the other hand stood tall with their arms crossed and their cocky smiles stretching wide across their faces.

"Well now that that cat's out of the bag, why don't you tell us what reason you have for being here?" Marlene now dictated, hands on her hips and leaning toward the two felines.

"Well—" Cait Sith began before he was cut off by Red.

"Allow_ me_ to explain. Sometime around 20:00 hours, Planet Monitor Machines—which are used to detect changes in the planet and Lifestream—or PMM for short, detected a disturbing presence appear deep within the depths of the Northern Crater. Later, at around 23:00 hours the PMM detected the appearance of a similar though less menacing presence around the Edge-Midgar area. Cait Sith and I have been sent to search this area for any abnormalities."

"Also," Cait added, "Please understand lass and lad that we are here on very urgent business and not only are we to investigate the strange presence but we will be on the look out for the sudden appearance of sketchy characters as well. Which is why I advise you two to stay inside for today, we don't want a repeat of the Reunion Crisis from two years ago."

"Well Cait, I doubt we'll be running in to Kadaj and his gang again any time soon so Marlene and I will just be out exploring Edge as usual. Besides we can't go inside right now, it's not safe with the adults being hung-over and all…" Denzel trailed off shuddering slightly.

"I'm afraid it wouldn't be a show of good judgment to Cloud and the others if we let you two wander around on your own with the current situation. Now I think it would be best if you stayed as close to the bar as possible just as a precaution." Red countered growing wearing of this squabble.

The three males continued with their debate until Marlene pitched her idea.

"Well I know the perfect place to spend the day if we _have_ to be somewhere safe."

The guys stopped talking, curious to hear Marlene's suggestion.

"Why don't we go over to big sister's church?"

"…"

"Well Cait, Red, it's up to you two. Can we please wait out the hangovers at the bar over there?" Denzel added half begging.

Cait Sith and Red stared at each other for a moment, then at each of the children, then at each other again.

Finally Cait Sith sighed and said, "Alright you win lass, lad. We'll let you two go over to the good lass's church."

"But," Red continued, "We will be the ones to escort you from here to the old ruins so that you don't run into any unnecessary trouble along the way. Personally I don't think this is such a good idea…" The last part he muttered uneasily, trailing off.

To that Marlene, not missing a beat, reassured the red cat saying with a carefree smile, "Don't worry. I know that big sister will be watching us."

Midgar- Aerith's Church

The old, empty, ramshackle church stood quietly in Midgar's Sector 5 Slums. Sunshine filtered through the broken windows as well as the crumbled parts of the wall and many stubborn flowers bloomed through cracks in the concrete on the ledge at the water's edge. A light breeze fluttered across the surface of the pool of water where the yellow and white flowers once grew. The breeze soon built up into a violent gale that shook the whole foundation of the aged building. The great winds outside rolled the clouds by and for a moment they blocked out the sun. When the great yellow circle was visible once again, the winds died down and the empty church wasn't so empty anymore.

-------

"…"

"…"

_Wha-? _

_What's happening? _

--Zap--

_Ouch! What was that?! What's this burning feeling I'm getting all over my body?_

--ZAP-- ZAP--

_Ouch!! That really stings! Now what's this pounding in my chest… _

_It's warm... _

… _So warm, I think I could sleep here forever… _

_**No!! You can't sleep now! You have to wake up!!**_

--ZAP-- ZAP-- ZAP---

_Ow! Now it's so cold and wet…!! _

_My lungs feel like they're on fire…!! I can't breathe…!!!! _

-------

-SPLASH-

**-Cough, cough- **

"Hey, you okay there Aerith?"

"…"

"Planet to Aerith, are you in there?"

"I'm just fine so you can stop playing cute Zack" Aerith croaked at last.

"What? I'm just being a concerned friend. Good thing Hikaru's voice woke you up when she called out. Otherwise I would've had to carry you out of the water myself and give you mouth to mouth CPR," Zack remarked sarcastically, his goofy grin in place.

"Fine, fine—where are we exactly?" Aerith continued coolly brushing Zack's sarcasm off, "We've got work to do and I'd like to figure out which 'familiar place' Cosmos decided to dump us in…" she mumbled as she gingerly got up from her sitting position in the water, wobbling slightly.

"What better familiar place to be dumped into other than the old Sector 5 Church, eh Aer?"

At those words Aerith immediately steadied and she glanced at her surroundings to make sure he wasn't joking. He wasn't. Just as he said, they were standing in the pool of healing water where her flowers once grew. The light shone through the two holes in the ceiling where her uninvited guests first made each of their respective entrances. Aside from a few missing pews and the pool of water she now stood in, the old place looked exactly as she had left. It was the same spot of sanctuary that she remembered—her church.

"Wow," Aerith uttered breathlessly as she removed herself from the pool, "I can't believe Cosmos actually dropped us off here. I haven't checked in with the old place since we visited everyone two years ago."

"Well you know what they say, some things stay the same." Zack commented standing beside her on the old wood floor.

Aerith smiled. "Then I'm glad if that's the case. But if you ask me there seems to be a new glow about this place now. Maybe it's the essence of joy left by the other people whose geostigma was healed here."

"Heh, well those joyful others should be thankful that you gave them this healing water. After all if it weren't for you there would still be children like Hikaru dying of the illness _that guy_ created." Zack finished in a bitter tone.

"Yes, this is why we will find that guy and bring him peace so that he doesn't have to return every other year just to give our friends a heart attack!" Aerith responded jokingly so as to lighten the mood.

When Zack didn't smile Aerith leaned toward him and said, "Well if you're so intent on getting rid of the guy so much then you're going to need a weapon. Lucky for you it looks like Cloud left you a present," she nodded to the item stuck in the concrete ledge on the far side of the pool behind him.

Following Aerith's gaze Zack turned around slowly asking, "Huh? What do you mean Cloud left me a present—WHOA!"

Zack had good reason to "whoa" since the "present" Aerith was referring to was in fact the weapon wielded by his old mentor, Cloud following his passing, and himself— the Buster Sword. The sword looked different from what he remembered as an old and often dirty weapon. If anything the giant sword looked brand new with its blade looking sharp and shiny in the sunlight.

Soon Zack was quickly making his way around the pool, eager to be reunited with his old weapon. After reaching the ledge he gripped the hilt and easily removed the blade from its resting place.

***whistles*** "Cloud sure did do a good job cleaning the old thing up. I could sense all the rust and dust collecting on it but it looks like he was able to wipe away all those bad memories at the end of it all, right buddy?" Zack stated with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Well I hate having to do this but I'm gonna be dirtying this sword up again. Hope Cloud doesn't mind," he continued half-jokingly now with an amused look on his face.

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure he _won't_ mind you dirtying _his _sword. And let me tell you right now, he is _really _going to appreciate it," Aerith pointed out sarcastically. "In any case, we're here to take down the enemy and not to visit old friends. So as long as we're here remember Zack this is _not _a vacation."

"Don't sweat it Aer. I'll focus only on the mission and not act like we're on vacation," he started heading swiftly for the door, "When hell freezes over," he finished flashing Aerith a playful smile before disappearing outside.

"ZACK!!!!" Aerith yelled as she stood enraged and amazed watching him go out the front door.

_I swear, when we get back to the Lifestream I'm having Cosmos put a leash on you, you wild puppy!! _

And with that thought Aerith chased after the old joker before he could get himself into trouble.

7th Heaven Bar

Things had calmed down considerably at the bar. Barrett and Cid both sat at the bar counter; each had an ice pack on his head and a bottle of remedy to relieve some of the headache. Yuffie now lay exhausted on the bar floor, oblivious to the masses of germs that lurked there. The full force of the hangovers had tamed each of the three fuming fools after Tifa had broken up the distraction (the fight) that had kept the pain unnoticeable. The pain struck each individual repeatedly, now rendering them immobile.

For that Tifa was grateful as she was the one who had to clean up the mess the trio had left behind in the kitchen. Broken glass was scattered everywhere and to Tifa's dismay the three did indeed manage to shatter five of her good plates.

"Honestly, you guys have no concern for anyone other than yourselves. How selfish," she began lecturing as she walked out of the now clean kitchen.

However, she froze when she noticed the spiky headed blond coming down the stairs. Thinking that he might be upset about having to wake up to another thunderous morning she quickly busied herself with trying to move Yuffie from her place on the floor near the doorway. This task proved to be more difficult than she thought and she could only pull hopelessly on the surprisingly heavy ninja's shoulders while trying to lift up her legs.

"Come-on-Yuffie-you-heavy-butt-ninja," –pant- -pant-, "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN EATING?!?!" she roared finally lifting the ninja girl up easily over her head.

"HEY! Take it easy Teef, she's not just some boulder you can toss to the side…" the two old men said fiery in unison before the pain silenced them once more.

"They're right Tifa; you need to be gentle." Cloud agreed walking up to her and taking the ninja from her arms. He walked over to one of the booths against the side of the wall and laid Yuffie down on one of the soft leather seats.

Immediately Yuffie snuggled her face into the plush leather booth and began to snore softly (to which the old men began to sniffle and sigh, forgetting all about her attack on them earlier that morning).

"There you go," Cloud whispered nodding contently. He next turned around and faced Tifa who was now blushing slightly. "You okay Tifa? You look kind of red…"

"I-I'm fine," she stuttered blushing even more, "Sorry if we woke you up!" She turned then gesturing to Barrett and Cid to apologize to him too.

"Oh, right. Sorry for the noise problem Spike!" Barrett started first standing up.

"Yeah, sorry if we woke you up from your beauty sleep kid." Cid continued standing up as well.

Cloud shrugged, "No hard feelings. I needed to get ready to head out when you guys started up anyway," he mentioned as he strode toward the door.

"Ah, wait! Would you like something to eat before you go?" Tifa asked worriedly touching him lightly on the shoulder.

At her question he turned slightly, gave a small smile and said, "No thanks, but I'll be back for dinner later," before heading out the door.

The two men stared at the young woman as she watched the retreating back of the blond haired man out the door.

"Think he'll come back when he says he will?" Cid questioned sourly.

"Pfft. He better come back by dinnertime otherwise I'm gonna give that pointy haired head of his a good mussing," Barrett answered rubbing his hands together.

Tifa sighed and turned smiling at them. "Don't worry; he'll be back. He just needs some time to himself every now and then. He _is _adjusting to having everyone around more and more often."

"Tifa's right. Let old spiky head be. He's a grown man after all." Yuffie chimed in from her position sprawled out on the booth seat.

Just then they heard someone stomping down the stairs. "You-guys-are-unbelievable…" came the muttering, dark voice of Vincent from the stairway—obviously in a bad mood, "I'm amazed that just four people can make so much noise when the day's hardly started."

_Hardly started? It's almost 12:00!!! _The four thought mutually.

"Uh, I think I'll go make his breakfast now." Tifa uttered before disappearing into the kitchen. _Good Luck you guys… _

_Damn it Tifa… leaving us to deal with the morning demon. _The remaining three thought betrayed as they could only wait helplessly for the "demon man'" to condemn them.

Edge- City Square

By this time the city of Edge was bustling with people going about their daily business. However the people of Edge were greeted by an unusual but adorable sight when a party composed of a young boy, a young girl, and two cat-like beings came parading down the street. Adults stopped and stared while little boys and girls pointed and giggled in awe and amusement at the sight of the smaller cat riding atop the larger one's head. Those close enough to this odd little pack could hear the sounds of light small talk as they strolled down the way.

"People are staring…" Red grumbled unnerved by the attention they were drawing.

"I wish the sidewalks were a little wider…" Marlene thought aloud.

"Yeah, it's hard to find our way because we're so short and this crowd of people just keeps sweeping us along. I don't even know what street this is…" Denzel agreed.

"Really, there's no need to be moping about children. And you shouldn't be such a downer, Nana-kichi." Cait responded chattering in a sing-song tone.

"DON'T CALL ME NANA-KICHI!!!" Red roared.

Suddenly the sidewalk in which the party had been traveling down cleared before them.

"Ah, it looks like we made it to City Square." Denzel commented unfazed by Red's roar which had jolted the people in front of them to move out of the way in an instant.

"There, there Red." Marlene soothed, hugging the fire tailed cat around the neck while petting him gently. "Come on Cait, don't upset Red so much. If he doesn't want you calling him Nana-kichi then could you please think about what he wants?" _But that is a cute nickname… _she wanted to add as an afterthought but decided to keep to herself.

"Ahhh… alright lass, if that's what you want. I'll call the old fellow 'Red' for the rest of the _day_. What do ya say to that, Nana?" Cait asked already not committing to his promise.

Marlene sighed and put a hand to her forehead. _He just doesn't get it… _she thought and gave Red a sad look of understanding. "It's your call Red."

"… Fair enough." Red returned defeated.

"Al-rrr-ighty then! Let's get this show on the road!" Cait accepted, getting pumped. "Where's Denzel by the way?"

The other two noticed this and began to look around frantically until Marlene stopped and pointed, "OH! There he is! He's by the memorial."

Marlene rushed off to catch up to him with the other two following close behind her.

-pant- -pant- "Denzel, why did you go ahead of us like that? You had us scared for a moment." Marlene asked feeling hurt.

"Ah, sorry everyone," he turned with his face to the ground , "I didn't mean to make you worry like that!"

"Haaah… it's alright lad." Cait reassured him.

"Just don't wander off like that again. In fact, why did you go on without us so suddenly?" Red questioned suspiciously.

"Huh? Well," Denzel turned to face the newly rebuilt meteor shaped memorial for Midgar once more, "I just got this feeling that drew me to it. Like something was calling me."

"Actually, now that you mention it I've got that feeling too; like something's calling me."

Cait and Red exchanged a look then. Then they nodded.

"Hey kids, maybe it's not such a good idea to head over to the Sector 5 Church after all." Red stated as Marlene and Denzel turned to him questioningly.

"Why not?" Marlene asked in a slightly offended tone.

"Well lass, if you and the lad are feeling this odd 'calling' that's drawing you to the Midgar Memorial then it might not be such a good idea for you to be in the Midgar ruins itself. I'm afraid that this 'calling' you over just might be evidence that there is some type of weird phenomena in the area. It's not safe." Cait explained solemnly.

"Yes, this is strictly business of the WRO now." Red acknowledged.

"Well if it's business of the WRO then let us help you. Actually we're junior AVALANCHE members now; we can take on anyone or anything that comes our way." Denzel shot back already taking off in the direction of the Midgar area.

"That's right, we are and we _can_! So let us help you!" Marlene echoed hot on his heels.

"HEY WAIT YOU TWO!! THAT LECTURE WAS SUPPOSED TO SCARE YOU INTO GOING BACK HOME, NOT ENCOURAGE YOU TO DIVE HEADFIRST INTO DANGER!!" Red roared at the retreating children causing more people to scatter.

"RED'S RIGHT!! YOU NEED TO GO HOME!!!" Cait called dismally after them. "ARGH! It's no use Red, let's go after them." Cait forfeited, climbing back onto Red's head.

"UGH, I am _**not**_ going to get turned into cat bits by Barrett at the expense of these kids; LET'S GO!!" Red howled dashing off after them.

Edge- Outskirts

-pant- -cough- "Hah, hah, hah… I can't believe you had me chase you all the way from the church in Sector 5 to the outskirts of the newly developed city near the area that was formerly Sector 7. We ran, like, almost_ fifty-seven_ blocks? Zack Fair, you are truly something else." Aerith panted breathlessly when they finally came to stop just within the outskirts of the unfamiliar city. "Hah, hah… and that's not even the most amazing part. The most amazing part is that even though that was a little over an hour long jog, you don't seem at all tired. Why?" Aerith moaned dropping into a squatting position near the ground.

"What can I say? I guess that's just the ex-SOLDIER training still kicking inside me. Heh, I've been a dead SOLDIER deserter for several years now but it feels like my body hasn't aged at all since then." Zack answered simply.

"Well Cosmos did say that we would be in our original bodies with _slight _modifications. I guess that explains why you're so energetic… she must have given you a little extra juice." Aerith ground out glaring at him enviously.

"Hey, don't hate me just because I'm more physically fit than you," he defended backing away from her a little.

*Sigh* "Whatever. So much for acting casually when we reached the surface…"

"Actually, I believe she said to act naturally once we got to the surface." Zack corrected before Aerith gave him a look that made him back up again.

"Okay, okay I know you're mad. But on the bright side our clothes dried out from all that running. Now we don't have to worry about hanging them out to dry. And let me tell you, that dress was clinging to you like—" he stated truthfully when Aerith stood up and rushed at him so fast he had to drop to his butt to dodge Aerith's slap.

"Zack as flattering as that compliment would've sounded I don't think I would've wanted to hear it from my ex-boyfriend," she explained in a voice of mock calm, towering over the dark haired man.

"Alright, alright I get the message," he admitted standing up, "Of course you didn't want to hear that from the long, black, spiky headed man but it would send you over the top if you heard it from the _blond _spiky haired—" Zack began raving again until Aerith went and proceeded to punch him. This time she didn't miss. *SMACK*

"Ow… right square in the left side of my jaw. How ruthless for a healer…" he complained chuckling slightly from his spot on the ground again.

"Admit it, you deserved that one." She retaliated with pure bittersweet rage lacing her voice.

This time he recognized the seriousness and the hardness to her usually melodic voice and immediately he regretted having teased her so much. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me," he pleaded kneeling with his head bowed.

Realizing that he was truly sorry for his rudeness, Aerith turned and knelt before him. Placing her right hand on his left jaw she began to heal him.

"I'll say sorry for hitting you so hard but honestly, Zack, you really did deserve it."

"I understand. But you know me. I joke around a lot and sometimes I get carried away."

"Huh, well you never used to joke around like that before. The SOLDIER- First Class that I fell for had more _class_ than to joke around like that with a girl."

"… Again, I'm sorry." Zack repeated feeling as if he'd reached a new and incredible low.

*Sigh "But you're right I do know you, Zack Fair, and you're a real handful sometimes so I'll let that smart comment slide… there. Your jaw's all healed now." Aerith remarked as she began to withdraw her hand from Zack's face when he grabbed it.

"Wait…" he murmured softly, "Thank you, Aerith," he finished pressing his lips to her palm in a soft kiss.

Aerith's cheeks tinged pink at this unexpected act and she removed her hand the moment his grip loosened. Soon after Aerith had her hand back the echoes of a thunderous roar and howl could be heard in the distance.

_That sounded like Red's roar… We better move._ Aerith observed inwardly.

"Oh come on Zack we don't have time for this. Now's not the time to be flirting you know," she scolded playfully as she stood up. "Now hurry up, we need to head back into Midgar and find some kind of staff or rod I can use for a weapon. You're more like a bodyguard than a partner but if I'm going to take on Sephiroth then I will need a weapon of my own." Aerith began rambling in a businesslike manner, heading back into Midgar.

_Ah man, she brushed off my flirtation technique so easily. She really must be head over heels for that guy. _Zack thought a little disappointedly before shaking his head and tagging along behind Aerith.

Edge- City Streets

Cloud absentmindedly made his way through Edge's busy streets dodging everyday shoppers and business people alike. Lucky for him it was his day off from work and so he could take a nice walk around the city to sort out his brain. Even with all the sights and sounds around him such as vendors trying very hard to get him to buy their products or the occasional lady trying to catch his attention plus children all over the place who would be yelling or screaming or laughing _way_ too loud, none of these things seemed to penetrate the blonds' deep thought.

_So he says he's coming back. Well it doesn't bother me so much to know that he's coming back. In fact it's better to have a little warning than for him to just evolve from a total stranger like the last time. The thing is should I tell the others? I mean, I don't even know how serious that dream really was. Hell, it could've just been another one of those nightmares, right? Yeah that's probably it. Just another nightmare, there's nothing you need to worry about. _

Thinking he had solved his dilemma Cloud nodded his head smiling slightly as he strolled down the sidewalk muttering, "It's alright. Deepground was dealt with, Omega was taken down, and Sephiroth is not coming back. It was all just a nightmare, all just a—"

'Nightmare' he was about to say when a great roar shook him from his personal pep talk. Cloud nearly tripped at the noise but caught himself and came to an immediate halt right in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I know that roar… That can't be good," the blond started, his hopeful thoughts shattering and disappearing into oblivion.

Within the blink of an eye the spiky haired man was high-tailing it back up the sidewalk, weaving through the crowds as quickly as possible for the bar where he would explain the situation to his friends.

_Red's roar just now… wasn't a greeting or a battle cry. It was an angry warning call… _Cloud began to assess when a booming howl filled his ears, disturbing his thought once again.

"Man that howl…" _He sounds pissed. I better hurry up and get to the others. If __**that guy**__ is here then they need to know about my dream before they go chasing after Red. AGH! This is so irritating! … Wait, Marlene and Denzel where are they?! They went out today too right?! Dammit! I gotta hurry and find them too! _

Feeling the fear and anxiety settling in his heart Cloud dashed off again in the direction of the bar.

7th Heaven Bar

At the bar everyone was in their usual post- Scary Morning Vincent traumatic state. The two older men lay flat on the floor with ice packs covering each man's face. Compared to the ninja girl one could say that the two men had had it quite easy dealing with the demon dressed in scarlet than she had. Yuffie was curled up into a ball in one corner of the bar rocking herself back and forth, blabbering all sorts of nonsense to no one in particular. Tifa was in the kitchen quietly washing dishes and her face had paled considerably from the blush that it was earlier while Vincent, the morning demon himself, sat coolly at the counter sipping his herbal tea in peace. Just the aftermath of another chaotic afternoon at the bar…

… Until a certain blondie came bursting through the door.

And just like "that" everyone was well enough to huddle around the doorway, anxious to hear what had happened.

"What's wrong Cloud? Are you hurt? Are you in pain?" Tifa fussed leaning in as she began to look him over.

"Hey Teef, you oughtta' give Spike his space there." Barrett warned. "He needs to breathe too y'know."

"Right! Giving him space!" Tifa remembered immediately stepping back.

"Okay Cloud, what's on your mind that you had to rush back after only… um… a few hours away from this hole?" Yuffie expressed thoughtlessly. "It's like only 16:30 right now. You left a few minutes before 12:00. Usually you're back _way_ later than this."

Cloud looked up at them with a confused gaze. "You mean you didn't hear him _roar_?" Cloud asked incredulously.

The bartender and three bar bums stared at each other before looking back to the blond.

"Who's he? And what's this about a roar?" Cid queried suspiciously.

Cloud heaved a great sigh and couldn't help but roll his eyes and straighten from his squat as he replied, "I'm talking about Red! Have any of you guys seen him?! I heard his roaring and howling coming from the square; it sounds like something's up! I don't know where Marlene and Denzel are either!" he continued, swaying where he stood on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Calm down Cloud! You need to slow down!" Tifa cut in rushing to his side and grabbing his left arm to steady him.

"Actually now that you mention it, I remember faintly hearing the sounds of some sort of thunderous noise echoing in the distance." Vincent admitted quietly.

Two of his three fellow bar companions could only look at him open mouthed while Yuffie took this opportunity have her revenge on the scarlet cloaked man. She gave him a good whack on the head.

"IDIOT!! SAY SO SOONER SO THAT YOU DON'T GIVE ANYONE A HEART ATTACK!!!" the ninja scolded.

Totally ignoring the shorter girls' complaints Tifa turned to Cloud and asked, "So what's the problem? Are the kids going to be alright? Or is Red trying to tell us that something's wrong?!"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know. But we'd better make the rounds around the city just in case."

"The kid's right. We better head on out and make sure no one's causing some kind of trouble." Cid agreed.

"Feh, if it's those three silver haired bastards again then, I'LL SHRED THEM TO PIECES WITH MY GUN!!" Barrett reveled.

"Wait, before you do any shredding there's something I need to tell you…" Cloud started uneasily.

"…"

"… And that's what I wanted you to know," the blond concluded summarizing his dream.

"EHHHHHHHH?!?!"

"IF THAT'S THE CASE THEN YOU SHOULD'VE TOLD US BEFORE, DUMBASS!!!!! MARLENE! HANG IN THERE!! DADDY'S COMIN'!!!!!!" Barrett hollered before pounding out the door.

"… He has a point Cloud. If you had a serious dream like that you really should've told us from the start." Yuffie nagged.

"I know that now. Sorry about that." Cloud acknowledged now feeling downcast.

*Sigh* "Well there's no point in scolding you now. No one could've known that a dream like that would actually be serious so it's okay Cloud." Yuffie returned apologetically. "In any case we better get moving. Vin and I will go check the city along with Barrett. Let's all meet back here at around 21:00, okay? 'Kay, we're off!!" she finished, dragging Vincent out the door behind her.

"So the others have their assignments, what are we going to do?" Tifa inquired hopefully.

Cloud stood up tall then and Tifa, discouraged, dropped her hands from his left arm.

"I'm going over to Midgar to look for Red. Knowing him, he's probably here on duty with Cait Sith. They should be able to handle themselves for a little while but if things get tough, they're going to need me. You and Cid should join the others later in securing the city. Damn, it's already 17:30. A whole hour's already gone by since I got here and started explaining," Cloud cursed glancing at his phone, "But you heard what Yuffie said; meet back here around 21:00. I'm going." And with that the spiky blond haired man was out the door once again, this time set on searching Midgar.

*Sigh*

"Hey, don't let that boy get you down okay Tifa? He doesn't know what he's missing." Cid comforted in a fatherly tone.

She smiled. "Its fine Cid, I don't need comforting. I don't have to be his number one. If I can keep on supporting him in any way I can, even as a substitute for the one he's missing, I don't care."

"TIFA—!!" Cid exclaimed appalled that she would say such a thing.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Now enough talk, it's time we get out there and smash some faces."

And without another word Tifa bolted out the door, Cid following close behind, as she thought: _So long as he needs support I'll stay by his side; always_.

Midgar- Sector 7

In the remains of the Sector 7 Slums/Plate area, the two children came to stop in a clear portion of the wreckage to take a breather from their running.

"Hah, hah … think we lost them?" Denzel wheezed clearly out of breath.

"Hah, hah, hah… I think so…" Marlene replied equally wiped out.

"Great," he sighed exhausted, dropping to the ground.

"Here, drink this." she comforted settling down next to him handing him a bottle of potion she had been carrying in her pocket.

"Thanks," he remarked gratefully taking the item from her.

He took a sip. "So now that they're gone, are we still heading for the church? I mean we might run into to them if we head there."

Taking the bottle from the older boy Marlene took a few large gulps herself before responding, "Well if we head home, we're sure to meet up with them there later so either way we're gonna have to deal with them. It's probably better if they chew us out while it's just the four of us at the church instead of us going home where we'll be embarrassed in front of everyone."

Denzel pondered that idea for a moment and he nodded his head in understanding.

"You're right. If we go back home we'll probably just end up in more trouble, so the church it is!" he exclaimed jumping up. Taking back the potion bottle, the boy wolfed down the rest of the health restoring liquid until there wasn't a single drop left. Then he grabbed a thin steel bar that was a little taller than himself and began parading around the younger girl.

"Mm!!" Marlene sounded her approval happily feeling the strength returning to her legs as she shot up excitedly.

Suddenly, a low growling reached the two children's ears and they stopped their little celebration to listen.

"Red…?" Marlene whispered feebly.

Denzel nervously glanced around before calling out in a stronger voice, "Red? Cait? Are you guys here?"

Next there was the clattering of metal and Denzel tackled Marlene to the ground right as a dark figure passed over them.

Quickly recovering Denzel looked back up in time to see the Shadow Creeper charging at them again. Still gripping the metal bar, Denzel jumped up and rushed to meet the beast. He successfully impaled the monster with the pointy end of his makeshift weapon and continued to stab at the beast until it was flat on the ground. Finally he jumped up and finished the monster off with a downward stab to its back. The creature let out a piercing squeal before dissolving into a thick black smoke that vanished into thin air.

Remembering Marlene was still huddled on the ground Denzel hurried back to her side.

"Marlene! Are you okay!? Are you hurt?" he ranted looking over her worriedly.

Slowly the young girl sat up and shook her head, giving a shaky smile. "I'm fine just a few scratches, that's all."

Relieved, Denzel sighed and patted her head with brotherly affection. "So long as you aren't bleeding then I'm happy. After all, I'd have a triple threat waiting at home to kill me if you were," he commented half jokingly, referring to Barrett, Tifa, and Cloud.

At this the two laughed when they heard a rustling sound and more low growls. They turned their backs to see several pairs of red eyes glaring at them from a pile of debris. Getting the hint this time around, the two children leapt up and started running.

"Wh-What do we do, Denzel!?" Marlene screamed trailing behind the older boy as they ran.

Grabbing her hand with his free one Denzel yelled back, "We'll stick to the plan. You said the church is a safe place. If we head there maybe big sis will protect us. Besides, if we go back to the city now we'll just be putting more people in danger."

And so hand in hand, the young boy and girl rushed madly for the church in the Sector 5 Slums where they hoped to be safe.

-------

Following just a little later behind the kids were Cait and Red. Red was on the verge of going berserk with frustration while Cait was trying to calmly fit together their next move. They soon found themselves in the same open space Denzel and Marlene had stopped in just moments before. Noticing the empty potion on the ground and some stab marks in the dirt the two stopped to investigate.

Jumping off of Red's head, Cait hurried over to the empty potion bottle and began to examine it. Red on the other hand made his way over to the stab marks in the dirt and started sniffing for clues, still greatly enraged. That rage was gone in an instant however when the fire red cat caught the scent of monsters. Confused and disturbed, Red sniffed the whole open space before coming to the horrible conclusion. With the feeling of anxiety now drowning out the fire of his anger, Red swiftly picked up Cait and tossed him on his back before charging along the scent trail left by the pack of shadow creepers.

Startled by his sudden course of action Cait Sith bitterly asked, "Oy man! What are you doin' now!? Can't you see I was examining a very important clue!?"

"What, the potion bottle? That doesn't matter Cait! It just shows that those kids needed a drink! My sense of smell tells me something much more urgent and if we don't hurry those kids will be nothing more than bleached bones in this sorry ruined city!! A big pack of, I'd say, fifteen shadow creepers is chasing after them!! They'll literally be sitting ducks unless we can catch up to them!!!" Red barked back.

Shocked with this new revelation Cait pulled out his megaphone from his belt and shouted, "HANG ON DENZEL, MARLENE!!!! CAIT SITH AND RED XIII ARE COMING TO RESCUE YOU!!!!!"

To that announcement Red let out another thunderous howl as he plowed on following the scent of the children and their tormenters.

-------

Deeper within the ruins of Sector 7 Zack and Aerith were digging through the wreckage in search of a bar of sorts for the healer to use as a weapon. Sadly their efforts were fruitless as Aerith was still without a weapon and the sun was already starting to set for the day.

Zack heaved a heavy sigh as he plopped down on a giant piece of metal tubing. "So much for finding a weapon…"

He glanced up at Aerith to see if she would show some kind of reaction to his complaint but the emerald eyed girl seemed not to have heard him. Instead she was looking up at the sky with a troubled expression crossing her usually serene face. Zack was about to ask her what was wrong when a glowing figure appeared before them.

"HIKARU?!?!?" Zack exclaimed shocked by her sudden appearance, slipping off his seat.

Aerith however didn't seem at all surprised by the Lifestream girl's appearance and instead she got directly to the point, "What's happened?"

Hikaru, glowing with the light of the Lifestream that made her appearance on the surface possible, uneasily responded, "It's those children that you are familiar with: Denzel and Marlene. They are in great danger and although the special WRO agents Nanaki and Cait Sith are hot on their tails, they won't nearly be enough to take on the fifteen shadow creepers that are hunting those children. Cosmos has sent me to warn you of this but she is not forcing you to take on any course of action since coming to their aid will mean revealing yourselves to them."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Zack urged on with deep concern in his voice.

"… It's Aerith's call. She knows them better than any of us. It is her choice whether she will rescue them or not." Hikaru answered looking back at the older girl. "What will you do?"

"… What does Cosmos have to say about me deciding to help them? What does she want me to do?" Aerith asked emotionlessly.

Hikaru sighed and replied, "You know how she is; she wants you to follow your heart."

At this the healer smirked before querying, "Do resurrected beings even have hearts that they can claim are _truly_ their own?"

Now it was Hikaru's turn to smirk as she gave her response, "Don't be silly. Of course they have hearts that truly and rightfully belong to them. Each heart is unique; special. Your heart is yours in life and in death even if you claim to have left it elsewhere; that includes the people you have loved and have left."

Aerith turned her back on her two companions as a few tears rolled down her cheeks before she hastily brushed them away. When she turned to face them once more her signature smile was in place and she announced, "Well then I guess we better get going Zack. We don't want to keep them waiting. Besides, the old place won't last much longer if the people fighting there can't fight more gently."

Zack scratched the back of his head before nodding his agreement. "Right, let's get this show on the road!" he shouted pumping a fist into the air.

Hikaru giggled slightly before turning serious again. "Very well, I will report your decision to Cosmos," she stated with a determined look on her face which melted into a warm smile in the end. As the lights of the Lifestream danced around her in a whirlwind-like manner she managed to call out a loud 'good luck' before she disappeared.

*Sigh* "Alright Zack, it looks like we're going to meet up with some old friends after all. But please do me a favor and don't make a big deal out of it." Aerith pleaded.

"Heh, we'll see. This will be my first time meeting some of the new friends you made while I was away. Heh, I'm going to enjoy this." Zack commented chuckling with dark humor before speeding away in the direction of the church.

"Oh no… ZAAACCKK!!!!" Aerith groaned as she chased after him, already knowing she would have her work cut out for her when this was over.

-------

Just on the outskirts of the Edge/Midgar area, Cloud was making good time playing catch up with his friends on foot. He cursed venomously when he remembered that it would have been faster to get to Midgar on Fenrir, but he was against returning to the bar to retrieve it since at that time he was already passing the memorial statue in the square which meant that going back now would be a complete waste of time. As he passed from the new developments of Edge into the old city with its ruined buildings the spiky haired blond decided that he had made the correct decision to keep going on foot after all.

As he pressed on along the broken road he thought:_ Denzel, Marlene; I'm coming. Wait for me. _

Sector 5 Slums

After a tiring run to escape the shadow creepers that followed close behind Denzel and Marlene had finally managed to shake the pack of monsters off their tail. It took a lot of stabbing, running, and some climbing but the two children were able to escape by stopping to take a few stabs at the head of the pack followed by more running while the rest of the group was distracted. When the pair had put some distance between the monsters and themselves, they climbed through piles of scrap metal until they were just a little ways in front of the church.

-pant- -pant- "Look—there it is!" Marlene cried exhausted, removing her hand from the older boy as she hunched over with her hands on her knees and sucked in deep gulps of air.

The moon became visible in the sky and somewhere not too far away the two children could hear the squeals of shadow creepers, calling out in anger and excitement.

When Denzel heard the noise he knew that they couldn't stay out there for long so he bent over and called, "Marlene get on my back! I'll give you a piggy-back ride to the church! We need to get inside before those shadow creepers find us!!"

The girl hesitated until the cries of the shadow creepers filled the air once more and the next moment she was on Denzel's back as he swiftly headed inside the church; the sounds of the shadow creepers drawing closer. Once the pair of children had made it safely inside the church they made their way over to the pool in which Denzel came to a sudden halt noticing that the giant Buster Sword was missing.

"Wha-?! Wh-Where's the Buster Sword?!" he exclaimed panicking.

But the boy did not have time to start searching the place for the next thing he knew he was falling into the pool while Marlene made her way to the ledge opposite the entry way. Annoyed, the boy shot up from the water and was about to give Marlene a good earful about pushing him into the pool when the low growling of a shadow creeper brought him back to his senses.

"DENZEL!! BEHIND YOU!!" Marlene screamed.

The boy ducked back into the water just missing the sweep of the shadow creepers' claw. He sprung back up with a good upward stab to the beasts' head using the steel bar he still carried. Pulling back the monster cried out in pain. Denzel used this opportunity to swim over to the ledge where Marlene watched terrified. He pulled himself up on the ledge and turned to see the rest of the pack filtering in wildly through the door. Now backed into a corner Denzel stood up ready to fend off those fiends when a pair of familiar friends came charging through the open gap in the side of the church and slamming into three of the shadow creepers at the front edge of the pool.

"OY! LISTEN HERE YOU HARD HEADED BRUTES! YOU ARE NOT TO HARM THIS WEE LASS AND LAD OVER THERE!! YOU WANT'TA PICK'A FIGHT?! YOU FACE CAIT SITH AND RED XIII RIGHT OVER HERE!!!!" Cait Sith announced loud and clear on his megaphone, standing on Red's backside as he tore the three shadow creepers beneath him to bits.

A cloud of thick black smoke puffed past Red and disappeared as one shadow creeper was defeated. The other two however knocked Red off of them and sent the two cats flying. Red landed in the water while Cait landed just on the edge of the pool's center facing the main entrance. The twelve shadow creepers in the walkway crouched down, poised to strike. The other two on Cait's left followed suit.

_So fourteen creepers all together, eh? Heh, Red an' I can take on these rascals easy! _Cait thought smugly.

"ALL RIIIGHT RED!!! LET'S ATTACK!!" Cait yelled into his megaphone as he charged to meet the first shadow creeper head on.

Red jumped out of the water to face the two shadow creepers that had thrown him off before but took a moment to shake the water from his coat while the two monsters drew near. As the water droplets touched them however the monsters shrank back and squealed violently, as though they had been burned.

"Oh? What's this?" Red murmured in surprise before he turned to the others and announced, "Hey kid! It looks like you can help out a bit after all! Soak your weapon in the water and use it on those creepers for an instant kill! Seems like this water hurts them! Marlene! Go and splash some of that water on yourself to repel those monsters from your spot!! We'll take it from here!!!"

"Marlene, do exactly what Red told you. I'm going to fight now, so I want you to stay here and be safe." Denzel ordered, dipping his steel bar into the water before joining in the frenzy.

"O-okay," was all she could stutter as she bent close to the water to splash herself with the protective liquid. _I hope this works._ She thought uncertainly.

Surprisingly the party of two cat-like creatures and the boy with limited fighting abilities did a good job fending off the fourteen shadow creepers. Red bit and tore at the creepers and Denzel swung and stabbed with his steel bar while Cait danced around enthusiastically shouting spells into his megaphone. It was only a matter of time until the fearsome swarm was reduced to only three shadow creepers, one for each fighter. Not wanting to drag out this battle an longer than it had Red pounced on his enemy and landed a fatal blow to the head. Cait finished his opponent soon after with a great Firaga spell.

A single shadow creeper stood facing off against Denzel in the church's doorway growling threateningly. In a flash it charged towards him but in one swift fluid motion he slashed at the squealing creature, sending it into oblivion.

"Bravo lad! Yeh've done it good an' right!" Cait cheered happily.

"I have to admit kid; the robot's got a point. Nice work taking out that creeper." Red approved nodding his head.

"Thanks…" Denzel murmured weakly as he turned to face them.

"OH! DENZEL YOU'RE HURT!" Marlene shrieked pointing at the gash on his right shoulder.

Now noticing the wound on the boy's shoulder the felines rushed to his aid. "Come on kid, get on." Red ordered.

"It's not that bad Red, you don't have to—" Denzel began but was cut off by Red.

"JUST GET ON BOY!!!" Red barked, irritated.

Reluctantly Denzel climbed onto Red's back as he carried him over to the ledge where Marlene sat quaking with worry, tears flooding her eyes. When Denzel had finally been set down on the ledge he was forced to lean against the wall as his injury was examined.

"Well lad I'll tel'ya one thing, you're very lucky that it's a small wound. I'll have you fixed up in no time." Cait finished when piercing squeals filled the air once more.

"More shadow creepers?!" Marlene cried alarmed.

"Damn it! They just keep coming in waves!" Red roared as he dove into the pool and jumped out on the other end. "Listen Cait, it sounds like there are even more of those creepers than before. At this rate, with the boy bleeding and the girl unable to fight, we're dead meat. Cait, I want you to stay by the kids and start casting spells at any of the creepers that get to close to you guys. I'll take down as many as I can here up front. We'll keep this up until all of them are wiped out and when that happens we'll make a run for it! Got it?!" the red cat explained as he attacked the first shadow creepers that came surging through the door.

"A-alright Red! We'll do that!" Cait called back fearfully.

"Cait, can't you just use a healing spell on me or a potion? I can still fight! See? I even have the steel bar." Denzel pleaded as he struggled to stand.

Cait shook his head and he headbutt the boy, forcing him back down. "Can't lad, sorry. Red an' I have no items on us right now an' the truth is I don't think it's such a good idea if we let you continue fighting right now. Just sit back and relax. Red an' I will take care of the rest, no problem."

But there was a problem. In moments both Cait and Red were overwhelmed by the sheer number of shadow creepers and they seemed to be fighting more fiercely than before. To top it all off, both felines were starting to lose their fighting edge as the battle raged on.

_Can't… lose!! _Red thought bitterly as he forced himself to keep standing.

_Can't… carry on like this!! _Cait thought tiredly as he forced his enemies back with another wave of blizzard spells.

A cloud blocked out the light of the moon overhead when suddenly Red collapsed just at the edge of the pool while shadow creepers eagerly crept up to the fire red cat only to jump back hissing at scent of the protective water that soaked his fur. Other shadow creepers quickly made their way over to the ledge where Cait immediately responded by casting wave after wave of Thunder spells. All seemed lost when a spiky haired person came crashing down from the ceiling, wiping out dozens of shadow creepers with the shockwave of the landing alone. His face shadowed by the cloudy sky, the spiky headed figure easily dispatched the confused shadow creepers with every swing of his hefty blade. By the time the cloud cover had passed by the church was clear of shadow creepers and the mysterious spiky haired savior stood in the shadows, his face hidden in the darkness.

"I know those spik'ey locks… CLOUD!! YEH'VE SAVED US ALL!!!" Cait cried in relief and joy as he started bounding towards the spiky haired man but was pulled back by the tail by Denzel.

"Wait…" Denzel uttered in a voice so low it was barely a whisper. "That's not Cloud."

"EH?! What in the world are yeh talking about lad? Of course he's Cloud! What other man do you know has hair that defies gravity like that, eh?" Cait objected doubting the child's words.

"He's right Cait, that guy isn't Cloud. He may look similar to Cloud but his scent is totally different. Cloud smells like motor oil and packages just like your average delivery boy. This guy smells like earth and, if I'm not mistaken, the lightest touches of Lifestream; like he's fresh out of a Mako shower." Red elaborated growling at the unknown person while he tried to force himself to stand again, only to fall back down with a 'thud'.

"RED!!! WHY YOU—IF YOU HURT RED I SWEAR I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!" Denzel started now standing, pointing the steel bar in warning.

"Denzel you shouldn't what if he—" but Marlene was unable to finish her sentence before Denzel began advancing on the intruder, even in his wounded state.

He was about to strike when the man thrust his blade in front of the boy's face, the sharpened tip just inches from his nose.

"HEY! DON'T PUSH IT, YOU! LOWER THAT SWORD BEFORE YOU INJURE HIM ANY FURTHER!!" a furious feminine voice ordered from the doorway. "Honestly Zack, I'm going to die of heart failure before I can finish what I came back here to do."

_Zack??? Who the hell _is _that? And came back? Meaning she's been here before? _Denzel thought curiously as the blade moved away from his face.

_Hmm? That woman's voice… it sounds so familiar… _Marlene discerned suspiciously.

"Hey! He's the one who started charging at me with the pointy end of that spear!" the male's voice, apparently Zack's, retaliated with fake hurt.

"Oh Red, are you okay? What am I saying—of course you're not okay you're struggling to stand as it is…" the concerned feminine voice questioned, ignoring Zack. "Here, let me help you out…"

Before the fire red cat could object green light shot out from the woman standing in the doorway and began to swirl around Red in a Curaga spell.

"J-Just who are you people?!" Red questioned, on the defensive after receiving help from the unknown woman.

"You don't remember me Red? I'm sad… we only knew each other for a short time but I thought that you would at least remember my _voice_," the woman commented sadly as she moved up the walkway toward the edge of the pool where the moonlight poured in. She was just about to step out and reveal herself, when the Zack man did so first by coming into the light while blocking her path. He was a tall man, taller than Cloud anyway, with long black spikes that stuck out on the back of his head. He wore what appeared to be an old SOLDIER- First Class uniform and he had his back to them so they had yet to see his front.

"Are you sure you want to do this? There's no turning back after this, Aer." Zack asked the woman seriously.

"Of course Zack, now will you please move? The boy is bleeding for crying out loud!" the woman assured, irritated, as she pushed Zack out of the way and stepped into the moonlight.

There was a collective gasp from the two feline creatures and children. Denzel gasped in awe at the woman's beauty but that did not seem to be the case with the other three.

"Great Cosmos! It can't be—!" Cait gasped.

"How?! Is it—is it really you?!?" Red stuttered.

"What's wrong with you guys—?" Denzel asked thoroughly confused.

Marlene stared silently at the woman after gasping for a brief moment before finally speaking:

"Big Sister?"

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A/N: Hellllloooooooooo!!! I know it's been a verrrrryy long time since the last chapter but, I'm baccckk (smiles from ear to ear)!! So sorry for taking soooooooo long on this update but I wanted to make sure everything was carefully planned out so I spent a lot of time gathering information for the story. Cait Sith and Red XIII (Nanaki) finally made their appearance this chapter so I had to make sure I accurately presented their characters. I was taking forever editing things too since my own sis' kept on giving me all these pointers (ugh) but I'm really grateful for all of her "creative criticism" since it definitely feels like I accomplished more this chapter. A little heads up for the following chapter (which I have no idea when it will come up) I have plans of introducing another, err let's just say, "deity" who will also play a very important role in the story. There will be an update on the status of things on Sephiroth's end as well as Cloud and the gang. Again sorry for taking so long but here it is, thanks for reading!!!! And Happy New Year!!


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